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The Journal of Neuroscience, May 15, 2001, 21(10):3409-3418
Loss of the Major GABAA Receptor Subtype in the Brain
Is Not Lethal in Mice
Cyrille
Sur,
Keith A.
Wafford,
David S.
Reynolds,
Karen L.
Hadingham,
Frances
Bromidge,
Alison
Macaulay,
Neil
Collinson,
Gillian
O'Meara,
Owain
Howell,
Richard
Newman,
Janice
Myers,
John R.
Atack,
Gerard R.
Dawson,
Ruth M.
McKernan,
Paul J.
Whiting, and
Thomas W.
Rosahl
Neuroscience Research Center, Merck Sharp and Dohme Research
Laboratories, Harlow, Essex, CM20 2QR, United Kingdom
The 1 2 2 is the most abundant subtype of the
GABAA receptor and is localized in many regions of the
brain. To gain more insight into the role of this receptor subtype in
the modulation of inhibitory neurotransmission, we generated mice
lacking either the 1 or 2 subunit. In agreement with the reported
abundance of this subtype, >50% of total GABAA receptors
are lost in both 1 / and 2 / mice. Surprisingly,
homozygotes of both mouse lines are viable, fertile, and show no
spontaneous seizures. Initially half of the 1 / mice died
prenatally or perinatally, but they exhibited a lower mortality rate in
subsequent generations, suggesting some phenotypic drift and adaptive
changes. Both adult 1 / and 2 / mice demonstrate normal
performances on the rotarod, but 2 / mice displayed increased
locomotor activity. Purkinje cells of the cerebellum primarily express
1 2 2 receptors, and in electrophysiological recordings from
1 / mice GABA currents in these neurons are dramatically reduced,
and residual currents have a benzodiazepine pharmacology characteristic
of 2- or 3-containing receptors. In contrast, the cerebellar
Purkinje neurons from 2 / mice have only a relatively small
reduction of GABA currents. In 2 / mice expression levels of all
six subunits are reduced by ~50%, suggesting that the 2
subunit can coassemble with subunits other than just 1. Our data
confirm that 1 2 2 is the major GABAA receptor subtype in the murine brain and demonstrate that, surprisingly, the
loss of this receptor subtype is not lethal.
Key words:
GABAA receptor; mouse; cerebellum; radioligand; benzodiazepine; inhibitory current; locomotor activity; rotarod
Copyright © 2001 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/01/21103409-10$05.00/0
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